Laundryproof resilient socket



LAUNDRYPROOF RESILIENT SOCKET Filed April 13, 1938 Fag7 51 V///// mm INVENTOR M- zl/fofiewa BY 7 2M, P 'r ATTO RNEYS Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES LAUNDRYPROOF RESILKIENT SOCKET Joseph W. Dews, Waterbury, Conn, assigncr to Scovill Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Connecticut Application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 291,719

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in snap fastener assemblies of the type comprising complemental socket and stud members, and more particularly to a socket member which is of laundry-proof construction.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a fastener socket member of such strong and durable construction that it may be affixed to a garment or other article of a launderable nature without fear that it will be crushed by the heavy stresses which are normally incurred in the course of washing and ironing such a garment.

It is another and more specific object of the invention to provide a socket member of the foregoing character, having a plurality of somewhat delicate fingers adapted to engage the head of a complemental stud member, with a shield partially overlying and surrounding those fingers in such a way as to protect them from external stresses without, however, interfering with their normal functioning.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a socket member which, in addition to the foregoing, is arranged for cooperation with a pronged type of attaching eyelet or cap whereby it may be securely afiixed to its supporting sheet.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a two-piece socket member of this character, which, because of its extremely simple character, may be manufactured very inexpensively.

The foregoing and other objects, as well as various features of the invention, may be more fully understood from a consideration of the following description in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a snap fastener installation, including a conventional stud member engaged by the complemental resilient parts of a. socket member constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the socket element of the completed member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; '45 Fig. 4 is a plan view, from the rear, of the cap element of the socket member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a conventional pronged "5o attaching eyelet; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the completed socket member, partly broken away better to '55 show the interior construction, prior toits attachment to a supporting sheet as illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the modified form of socket-anvil member.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a snap fastener installation comprising a conventional stud member ill, affixed to its supporting sheet H by means of a rivet E2 of any usual form, with its contracted neck portion l3 and head M engaged by the resilient fingers of a socket l5, the latter member being constructed and affixed to its supporting sheet it in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In this figure each of the supporting sheets is shown as comprising two layers of material which are intended to represent hemmed portions formed along the overlapping edges of a garment of a launderable nature.

The socket member i5 is of two-piece construction comprising a resilient socket element ll, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and a cap element 18, particularly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The socket element is preferably of one-piece construction comprising a central wall of generally cylindrical proportions which has been axially slitted, or notched, at a number of points 59 to form a plurality of resilient fingers 2E, and inwardly rolled along its free front edge to provide each of these fingers with a stud engaging bead 2 l and an anvil portion 22 turned reversely from the rear end of the wall and flared outwardly to define a V-shaped trough surrounding the fingers and forwardly to such extent that the outer extremities of its front surface lie in a plane which preferably, although not necessarily, is spaced forwardly of the free ends of the studengaging fingers. The details of this element may best be seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cap is is also of one-piece construction comprising a sheet metal blank which has been pressed, drawn and turned to provide it with a substantially flat shield portion 23 having a central opening M therein through which the head of a stud member may be passed, and a rim 25 extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield. In the preferred embodiment, as shown, the opening M is defined by the inner surface of a cylindrical lip 26, the latter part being drawn rearwardly from the inner margin of the shield portion and having an inside diameter which slightly exceeds the outside diameter of the cylindrical wall defined by the resilient fingers of the socket element.

The blank from which this cap is made may have a continuous outer edge, if desired. Prefan amount sufficient to permit the fingers to flex when the head of the stud member passes therethrough-and thus to prevent the accidental insertion of any object between these two parts which would tend to bend the prongs inwardly.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the free ends of the stud engaging fingers are merely turned over and directed inwardly towards the center of that element. This construction leaves a relatively sharp bead on the end of each finger for cooperation with the head and neck of the stud element. In many cases it will be found desirable to turn these free ends inwardly as shown at Zlot in Fig. 9, even though that may involve an additional turning or pressing operation, so that the bead will present a rounded, relatively smooth surface to the head of the cooperating stud member.

It is apparent from the foregoing that certain variations in the dimensions of the various parts of the socket member may be permitted without destroying its utility. Usually a variation in the dimension of a part of one element will be met by a corresponding variation in a complemental part of the other member. The objects of the invention will, however, be accomplished if the member is of two-piece construction with the front surface, and the inner lip, of the cap forming collectively a shield lying forwardly of, and surrounding, the somewhat delicate stud-engaging fingers, and if the outer flange of the cap is spun inwardly to define a retaining ring, between that part and the adjacent undersurface of the anvil, for receiving and retaining the prongs of an at taching eyelet or similar attaching device.

Since certain changes may be made without departing from the true scope of the invention, it is intended that the foregoing shall be construed in a descriptive rather than in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

l. A snap fastener socket member comprising a circular series of resilient fingers each provided at its free front end with an internal stud engaging bead, an anvil surrounding such fingers and flaring forwardly and outwardly from their rear ends, and a cap having a shield portion with a front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly of the free ends of the fingers, an opening in such shield through which the head of a snap fastener stud member may be passed for cooperation with the fingers, and a rim extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield portion with its free edge directed inwardly and lying in spaced relation to the rear surfaces of the anvil to define a retaining ring.

2. A snap fastener socket member comprising a socket element having a circular series of resilient fingers each provided at its free front end with an internal stud engaging bead, and an anvil surrounding the resilient fingers and flaring forwardly and outwardly from their rear ends; and a cap element having a shield portion with a front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly of the free ends of the resilient fingers and overlying the outer margin of the anvil, a central opening in such shield portion through which the head of a snap fastener stud member may be passed for engagement by the fingers, and a rim extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield portion with its free edge directed inwardly and lying in spaced relation to the adjacent rear surfaces of the anvil so as to define a retaining ring.

3. A snap fastener socket according to claim 2 further characterized in that the cap element has an inwardly directed lip defining its central opening and surrounding the fingers in radially spaced relation.

4. A snap fastener socket according to claim 2 further characterized in that the anvil of the socket element flares forwardly and outwardly from the rear ends of the fingers to define a trough in the front face of the element surrounding the fingers; and in that the cap element has an inwardly directed cylindrical lip defining its central opening which projects into the trough between the anvil and the fingers and lies in radially spaced relation to such fingers.

5. A snap fastener socket member comprising a socket element having a circular series of resilient fingers defining a generallyv cylindrical wall each provided at its free front end with an internal stud engaging bead, and an anvil formed. integrally with the rear ends of the fingers and flaring forwardly and outwardly therefrom to define a generally V-shaped trough surrounding the fingers; and a cap element having a substantially fiat shield portion with a front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly of the free ends of the resilient fingers and a rear surface adapted toengage and support the outer margin of the anvil, an inwardly directed cylindrical lip defining a central opening in the cap through which the head of a snap fastener stud may be passed for engagement with the resilient fingers, said lip projecting into the trough of the socket element in radially spaced relation to the adjacent resilient fingers for such distance as to be capable of engaging the front surface of the anvil along a line which is close toits inner extremity when the outer margin of the anvil engages the rear surface of the shield, and a rim extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield portion with its free edge directed inwardly and lying in radially and axially spaced relation to the rear surfaces of the anvil to define a retaining ring.

6. A two-piece snap fastener socket member including a socket element comprising a single piece of sheet metal with a central substantially cylindrical portion notched at radially spaced points to form a circular series of resilient fingers and inturned along its free front edge to provide each such finger with an internal stud engaging bead, and an anvil portion flaring reversely forward and radially outward from the rear end of the wall to define a substantially V-shaped trough in the front face of the element and terminating with its front surface, adjacent its outer margin, lying in a plane which is spaced forwardly of the free ends of the fingers; and a cap element comprising a single piece of sheet metal having a substantially fiat shield portion overlying the front surface of the anvil of the socket, an inwardly directed cylindrical lip joining the shield portion on a smoothly rounded curve and defining a central opening in the shield of slightly greater diameter than the cylindrical wall of the socket element, said lip projecting into the trough of the socket element for such distance as to be capable of engaging the front surface of the anvil near the line of joinder between that part and the rear ends of the resilient fingers when the outer margin of the anvil engages the underside of the shield portion, and a rim extending rearwardly and inwardly from the outer margin of the shield with its free edge spaced both radially and axially from the rear surfaces of the anvil to define a marginal retaining ring.

'7. A snap fastener installation including, in combination: a socket member comprising a socket element having a circular series of resilient fingers each provided at its free front end with an internal stud engaging bead, and an anvil flaring outwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the fingers and defining a trough in the front face of the element surrounding the fingers; and a cap element having a shield portion with a front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly of the free ends of the fingers and a rear surface adapted to support the anvil of the socket along its outer margin, an inwardly directed cylindrical lip defining a central opening in the shield through which the head of a snap fastener stud may be passed for engagement with the resilient fingers of the socket element, said lip projecting into the trough of the socket element in radially spaced relation to the adjacent resilient fingers for such distance that its rear free edge is adapted to engage and support the anvil near its inner extremity, and a rim extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield portion with its free edge directed inwardly and lying both in radially and axially spaced relation to the rear surfaces of the anvil; a supporting sheet disposed over the rear surface of the member; and an attaching cap having a radial flange portion engaging the side of the sheet opposite the member, and a plurality of prongs passing through such sheet and engaged between the anvil of the member and the rim of the cap to hold the parts in assembled relation.

8. A snap fastener socket assembly adapted for installation upon a flexible supporting sheet including, in cdnbination: a socket member comprising a socket element having a circular series of resilient fingers each provided at its free front end with an internal stud engaging bead, and an anvil flaring outwardly and forwardly from the rear ends of the fingers to define a trough in the front face of the socket element surrounding the fingers; a cap element having a shield portion with a front surface lying in a plane spaced forwardly of the free ends of the fingers and a rear surface adapted to support the anvil of the socket along its outer margin, an inwardly directed substantially cylindrical lip defining an opening in the shield through which the head of a snap fastener stud may be passed for engagement with the resilient fingers of the socket element, said lip being adapted to project into the trough of the socket element in radially spaced relation to the adjacent resilient fingers for such distance as to bring its rear free edge into engagement with the anvil near its inner extremity, and a rim extending rearwardly from the outer margin of the shield portion with its free edge directed inwardly and lying both in radially and axially spaced relation to the adjacent rear surfaces of the anvil of the socket element; and an attaching cap having a radially disposed flange portion, and a plurality of prongs adapted to pass through a supporting sheet and to be disposed between the free edge of the rim of the cap element and the socket element so as to force the anvil of that element against the rear surface of the shield and the rear edge of the lip.

JOSEPH W. DEWS. 

